Fall River's Kuss Middle breaks away from 'underperforming' list

When Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown called administrators and department heads into Matthew J. Kuss Middle School Principal Michael Procaccini’s office Wednesday morning, they had an idea of what would be announced.

It would be that Kuss had been moved off the state’s list of Level 4 schools.

When Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown called administrators and department heads into Matthew J. Kuss Middle School Principal Michael Procaccini’s office Wednesday morning, they had an idea of what would be announced.

It would be that Kuss had been moved off the state’s list of Level 4 schools.

But most, like English Language Arts department head Maria Griffith, did not know that Kuss had moved all the way up to Level 1.

Mayo-Brown made the announcement — which the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education publicly announced an hour and a half earlier — over the intercom to teachers and students alike.

Kuss is among the state’s top middle schools, she said.

“Good morning, Kuss students and teachers. Pardon the interruption,” Mayo-Brown began. “Today, Gov. Patrick and Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester have some very important news. Due to the effort of teachers, administrators, parents and students, Kuss is no longer a Level 4 middle school, but a Level 1.

“So let’s take a moment to holler, cheer and applause for all the great things you have done.”

Former Kuss Principal Nancy Mullen returned her old building for the announcement. She also addressed students and staff over the intercom.

“I just want to say how proud I am of our students and staff for all the hard work they’ve put in to improve education at Kuss,” Mullen said. “The improvements at Kuss are not to the credit of any single person, but to our family as a whole. It’s the Kuss family that has made our school great. And I know you can continue to do the great work.”

“When I came here, I told you we were a Level 1 school then. And now we are officially a Level 1 school,” Procaccini said over the intercom. “I am just happy all of you have gotten the recognition you deserve.”

Kuss, as well as Doran, was among the 14 schools on the state’s original cohort of Level 4 schools that met their three-year turnaround objectives and will no longer be on the list.

According to a DESE press release Wednesday, the 14 schools “have successfully met their individual measurable, annual goals over the past three years by increasing student achievement and showing significant progress in implementing conditions at the school and district level for continuing to accelerate improvement.”

Teachers reacted emotionally, hugging each other. They said the school turned around because teachers worked hard and supported each other, and administrators worked to cultivate a new positive learning environment.

Former math department head Ken Ward said Kuss, at one point, “was a tough place.”

“I started in 2007,” Griffith said. “Everybody has worked so hard. It was a good push for us."

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In a visit to English teacher Emily Wingate’s classroom, one student asked, “We did it?”

Teachers responded, “Yes. Without you we couldn’t have done it.”

English teacher Sharon Puopolo was among those teachers who remembered Kuss’ turnaround struggles.

It was just a few years prior, “I would say that I taught at Kuss, and people would say back to me, ‘I’m sorry,’” Puopolo said. “But now it’s night and day. The attitude of students has changed. I think they believe they can accomplish anything. I don’t think our kids think they have any limits.”

City officials took note, as well.

“It’s a proud day for our city, to shed a label, and our commitment to properly funding the school system and support staff,” Mayor Will Flanagan said. “We’ve reaped positive benefits. But, I would caution, we cannot lose track of where we come from, and we need to use our past experience going forward.

“This is a tremendous day for the entire school district. It took three years to turn these schools around. They have to continue to move forward.”

Flanagan said that, during classroom visits over the last three years, he’s witnessed teachers engaging students.

"When I go after school hours, the building’s still full of life," Flanagan said. "Whether physical activity, students are engaged even after they left the school.”

“I think the credit goes to the teachers,” School Committee member Bob Maynard said. “I’m very happy. It shows that we’re moving forward. It shows that we’re doing a good job, and change is possible.”

Parents picking up their children after school also reacted to the news.

Colleen Kublin — who along with her husband, Bob, was waiting for her sixth-grade daughter — said their daughter’s former teachers at Spencer Borden Elementary School spoke “very highly” of Kuss.

“The teachers here are great. I had heard nothing but good things about Kuss,” Kublin said.